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Help:Japanese Terminology
This is a glossary of Japanese romaji terms used in the Gintama 銀魂 Wikia only. Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B ''Bakufu'' 幕府 : This refers to the ruling Shogunate. Pronunciation is similar to bark-foo. ''Boke'' ボケ : This refers to the funny man or idiot in a comedic skit, typically with another partner delivering the penetrating riposte in the role of the ''tsukkomi''. C ''Chibi'' 禿び or チビ : This refers to smaller and/or cuter versions of the manga/anime characters, typically with over-sized heads. D ''Doujou'' 道場 : Refers to a column-free hall used for martial arts or sword-skill training. The English language has assimilated this phrase as dojo. G ''Genjina'' 源氏名 : Professional name adopted by hostesses and geisha. H ''Haiyuu'' 俳優 : Actor (male), though increasingly being used to refer to actresses as well. ''Haori'' 羽織 : It is a hip- or thigh-length kimono jacket which adds formality. Haori were originally reserved for men, until fashions changed at the end of the Meiji period. They are now worn by both men and women, though women's kimono jackets tend to be longer. ''Hikikomori'' 引きこもり : Refers to a person who withdraws from society, shunning people in general. Often used to refer to jobless [[#Otaku| otakus]] who stay at home all day indulging in their ACG(anime, comics, games) hobby. J ''Joyuu'' 女優 : Actress. Cannot be used to refer to male actors. K ''Katana'' 刀 : Single-edged sword used by Japanese swordsmen for combat, usually 60cm in length or more and technically called 大刀 daitou aka Big Sword. The names given to the swords typically follow the family name of the swordsmith or family of swordsmiths who made the particular series of swords. See Wikipedia Link for more details. ''Kiseru'' キセル : A thin tobacco pipe, commonly found before cigarettes are mass-produced in Japan, and they frequently serve as a symbol of the owner's social standing due to the precious metals encapping the ends of the pipes. Some of the metals used include gold, silver, bronze, iron, etc. For more details, refer to Wikipedia Link, full details in Japanese version. ''Konbini'' コンビニ or コンベニ for short, コンビニエンスストア kon-bi-ni-en-su su-to-a in full : Convenience store. ''Kunai'' 苦無 or くない : A metal leaf-shaped blade and a handle with a ring on the pommel for attaching a rope. It is a multi-functional weapon commonly associated with ninjas. For more details, refer to Wikipedia and Wikipedia Japanese Link. M ''Mangaka'' 漫画家 or マンガ家 : This refers to the comics author or artist, manga is the romaji for Japanese comics, ka referring to author/artist. ''Miko'' 巫女 or 神子 : Refers to the different kinds of women helpers, not just mediums or shrine maidens (who have the sacred function of conveying the gods' words through oracles), designated to serve specific deities at shrines during the Yamato period, now commonly seen conducting other religious rituals (including classical religious dance routines) and weddings as well. It is one of the jobs in Japan that falls outside the purview of the 'Gender Equality In Employment Act' (男女雇用機会均等法 danjo koyou kikai kintou hou). This term can be read as fujo. O ''Okama'' 御釜 or オカマ : A derogatory term that refers to male homosexuals, effeminate men or transvestites. ''Otaku'' オタク : Refers to a geek, nerd or increasingly more common, ACG (anime, comics, games) enthusiast. R ''Romaji'' 羅馬字 or ローマ字 : This refers to the romanised spelling of Japanese Kanji or Kana characters used primarily in, though not limited to, the English Lanaguage. S ''Seiyuu'' 声優 : Voice-actor (genderless). See also 俳優 haiyuu, 女優　''joyuu''. ''Seppuku'' 切腹 : This refers to the ritual of self-disembowelment as a form of punishment meted out by superiors to subordinates. T ''Tankoubon'' 単行本 : Refers to a single-volume publication that can be a one-off publication or separate volumes in a series, typically by the same author. For Gintama 銀魂 in particular, each tankoubon published by Jump comics is typically released only after a number of manga chapters have been serialised in the Weekly Shounen Jump (hereafter referred to as WJ). However, tankoubon contents may not be exactly identical to the WJ, as there may be some minor re-draws/re-annotation or touching up of the artwork prior to publication. For more details on this type of literature, refer to Wikipedia Link. ''Tsukkomi'' ツッコミ : This refers to the straight man's role in a comedic skit, typically with another partner playing the ''boke'' role. Y ''Yakuza'' やくざ or ヤクザ : Commonly used to refer to the Japanese mafia members or groups, though it can refer to professional gambler or being good-for-nothing. Pronunciation is similar to yark-za. Go back to Top of Page __INDEX__ __NOEDITSECTION__ category:help